It’s got to be a topping thing. I need toppings on pretty much everything I eat. If you put a plain pizza, baked potato, or bowl of soup in front of me I’m going to, without a doubt, scan my surroundings for something to pile on top of it.

I’m typing on my laptop currently and legit just tried to use my phone as a mouse for a good 5 minutes before I realized my problem.

So there’s that.

Because I’m a stuffed veggie monster and cannot be stopped, I have 3 upcoming stuffed veg recipes for you guys this month. First up are these Cheesy Vegetarian Loaded Baked Potatoes with Spinach and Mushrooms.

Ignore the longer than life title and focus on the LOADED BAKED POTATO part. Oh yes. The veggie sauce poured over these roasted russets is power ballad worthy. I want to write sonnets devoted to this baked potato. Name a constellation after it. Or maybe just eat it. Forever.

They’re super duper filling (potatoes are awesome like that) and the sauce is seriously going to rock your world. It reminds me of a creamy marsala sauce but with more veggies and WAY more flavor! Creamy, savory, and so utterly dreamy, I could seriously pour it over everything in sight.

Cheesy Vegetarian Loaded Baked Potatoes with Spinach and Mushrooms

As written the recipe serves two, but can easily be doubled or tripled to feed your crew.

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pierce cleaned potatoes with a fork in 3-4 places and, for crispy skin, rub with a teeny bit of oil. Bake on a foil lined baking sheet for approx. 40 minutes or until insides are hot and fluffy. Alternatively you can microwave until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue to microwave in 5 minute intervals, until tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool slightly.

Heat 1 TBSP butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. When butter begins to bubble, add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they start to brown and soften, about 7 minutes.

While mushrooms cook, arrange potatoes close together on a baking sheet. Cut across the top, lenghtwise, and gently squeeze in sides of potatoes to puff up the middle, pulling outwards slightly to reveal more of the fluffy potato center. Sprinkle with Cheddar and bake until warmed through and cheese is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add spinach to pan with mushrooms over medium heat and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Stir in heavy cream and parmesan, then season with 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and pepper as desired. Top potatoes with mushroom and spinach sauce and garnish with chives.

Recipe Notes

TIP: If you wind up with a little crispy cheese left on your baking sheet after baking the potatoes with the cheddar, simply scrape it off with a spatula and use as a delicious garnish on your potato!

Cook time is based on oven baking the potatoes. If microwaving potatoes, dish will be ready much faster.

so. . . how were they?!

Delicious! In between making yum faces while eating this for lunch, Paul and I compiled a list of things we need to serve this sauce over ASAP:

Grits

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Red Potatoes

French Bread

Pasta

ALL. THE. THINGS.

I may or may not have gotten scolded for eating the veggie filling with a spoon straight out of the pan. I may or may not plan to do that every time I make these.

Comments

Tricia Berkow

Hey…I just noticed a couple of typos after making your recipe..which was delicious by the way. The first one is….you list Parmesan cheese in your recipe but it’s not anywhere in your directions so we topped off the potatoes with the Parmesan and broiled for a couple minutes. The second typo is that you state. ‘Add the remaining heavy cream…” but there is nowhere in your directions that the heavy cream is first added…so how could there be remaining heavy cream? Rather confusing but we made due and the pot awe really awesome.

I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?

Zeddy

Hi Zeddy! You have two tasty options here. A squeeze of lemon juice will add a burst of citrus and acidity to brighten the dish or you can use veggie/chicken broth to add some rich savory flavor to the sauce. Or you can use a wee bit of both!

Mary

Hello, new to your site and this is the first recipe I have tried….with modifications. I microwaved the potatoes, used the cheeses I had in the fridge as well a using Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. We do meatless Mondays and I am always low in protein so I added half a can of white beans. My husband wants fried eggs on everything these days so that went on top. Absolutely delicious! This will be my new go to baked potato.

Karen

Hey Karen! I haven’t tried it but it may very well work! If it’s nonfat yogurt (vs lowfat/2%) it may behave a little differently texture-wise but I think it’s for sure worth a try. In fact I’d love to try it too so let me know how it goes, we always have yogurt on hand as well 🙂

Brenda Hurst

Jenn, I just read your whole baked potato story here and am LMAO! You are cracking me up girl! I don’t know what made me stop and read the whole thing, usually I’m a time snob and skip right to the actual recipe. So glad I took the time, you made me smile, made me laugh, and I’ll be coming back for more!

Brenda, you’re the absolute sweetest and I’m totally honored you stuck around! Thanks for spending some time on this crazy site of mine and I can’t wait to hear all about the recipes you’ve tried! Beware of giant potatoes from outer space and have a great weekend, love! 🙂

Consider me your guide to all things veggie! It'll be fun, painless, and pretty darn delicious as I teach you to plan your meals around fresh, seasonal produce with a little
help from healthy freezer and pantry staples.

What's For Dinner?

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